With growing technology and the world turning literally into a global village, the offshore model has proved to be highly efficient and productive. Hire offshore dedicated software development team which works as an extended team of your company geographically located in another country or continent. It functions just like a branch of the company in another country. From startups to giants companies around the world hire dedicated developers to fulfill the IT-related requirements without actually establishing an IT department in their office. From project management to software development, testing, and technical support, everything is offered by the offshore development team.
Key Roles in Offshore Development Team:
An offshore team typically comprises of the following team members:
Account Manager
The connecting person between the client and the offshoring provider; continuously works with the client to ensure that all of their demands and requirements are efficiently met. Enquire from time to time regarding any further service or support that the client will require.
Project Manager
The person who will overlook the entire project; is the one who takes care of all the details and prerequisites of a project like budget, schedule, timeline, scope, communication, and technical expertise that will be required for the proper completion of the project.
Designers and Developers
An offshore team typically offers IT-related services and therefore it cannot be complete without designers and developers; from applications to software, whatever the client’s demand is, the designers and developers take care of all the conceptualization, design, development, installation, testing, launch and future maintenance.
Test Engineers
To ensure premium quality products Quality Assessment is crucial; for this, the test engineers work to validate the reliability, integrity, functional and non-functional demands of the product.
Usability Engineers
To verify the efficient performance, user-friendliness, and substantial usability of the product, usability engineers are the ones who will carry out the necessary testing.
Graphic Designers
Captivating graphics and appealing visuals that perfectly with the brand’s image are a must for the success of the product; to make sure this happens, the team must have graphic designers that work on the graphical concept and language of the product.
Content and Technical Writers
Competent writers with expertise in content and technical writing must be a part of the team to write articles and other material for the software, website, or application and devise instructions to be incorporated in the product.
Read our article on How to Build Offshore Software Development Team
Why Hire an Offshore Development Team?
As per the research, when you hire dedicated developers, you can save up to 60% of the development cost. While hearing about all the offshore teams working remotely from an entirely different time zone, there is one question that arises.
Why hire a dedicated software development team in the first place while you can set up an in-house software development department in your company and hire dedicated developers. Following are some of the reasons why an offshore development team is an idea to bank upon.
- You can utilize exceptional talent from across the globe without worrying about the geographical location or providing accommodation to the expert from another country.
- Variety of options for cooperation as you can choose the offshore team as an extended team of your company, an outsourced team, or a managed team depending on your preference.
- Help you by easing all the administration and infrastructure hassles and pain.
- Don’t have to compromise over the limited expertise of the local developers.
Hire Proven Developers At The Top Of Their Game – Contact Us Today
Where to Find the Best Development Teams?
Hiring an offshore development team is a bit tricky and the companies need to focus on certain factors while picking the one for their organization, such as:
Cost
Though the low cost is one of the major factors behind signing up with the offshore team but be wary of extremely low prices, they may be lucrative initially but they may end up with a low-quality development product. So, companies must prefer value over cost.
Reliability
A reliable partner is a great asset and surely every company dreams for one. Check out the success stories of your offshore team, their previous clients, and their track record. This will give you an idea about their professionalism and will help you in making an informed decision.
Culture
With the remote team residing on the other side of the globe, you can’t rule out the language and cultural differences which may create hurdles inefficient communication with the offshore team. Think thoroughly and decide whether you can manage the cultural differences or not before making the final deal.
According to the factors above-mentioned Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Asia are considered as the hottest spots to hire dedicated developers.
- Eastern European Countries – Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria, Belarus.
- Latin America – Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Columbia.
- Asia – India, China, Philippines.
Also Read Our Checklist for Hiring Best Software Development Company.
Best Practices to Follow While Collaborating with an Offshore Software Development Team:
Finding an offshore development team that is equipped with the expertise to fulfill your company’s needs is not enough; this is supposed to be a business partnership and therefore the client needs to follow professional business practices to maintain a long-term business relationship. Hire dedicated developers to scale your development team and manage the entire development cycle of your project.
Communicate
Clear communication is the key to success and when you have your team residing in an entirely different time zone, certain cultural barriers can be addressed through efficient communication. Whether it’s the company’s culture, ideals, mission, vision, or principles, the company must comprehensively discuss everything with its offshore team. Apart from making the offshore team a part of your company, this communication is essential to ensure that both your in-house and offshore teams are on the same page and follow your company’s values. Transparency in communication is crucial for task allocation between in-house and offshore teams.
Equality
Having an offshore team doesn’t mean that it’s some outsider who is not linked to the company, in fact, the businesses need to treat both their in-house and offshore teams equally and must keep their offshore team members on board while decision making. Make sure the presence of the offshore team members during conferences and stay in touch through web and video calls. This will make them feel part of the company which will positively influence their performance, enhances their loyalty towards the company. This will be effective in building a long-term relationship with the offshore team.
Inspiration
Hire dedicated developers for their extraordinary skills and expertise in the field and limiting them to just supporting tasks for the in-house team won’t do justice to their knowledge. Companies must motivate and inspire the offshore teams by bringing up critical stuff, that not only will motivate the offshore team members to give investors their full potential in the project but will also be beneficial for the company in the future because of all the innovative work they will bring forth.
Autonomy
Though it may sound difficult, the companies need to put their trust in their offshore teams; they must let them take independent decisions and show their confidence in their skills. It will help in making them feel special and they will know that their opinions matter, which will reflect in the work they will do for the project. Exerting too much control will curb the potential of the skilled remote team and they will also end up producing run-of-the-mill solutions.
Role in Decision Making
Your remote team is not some software just restricted to the specific project you assigned to it; in fact, there are brilliant brains out there with some exceptional ideas. Make use of their potential by engaging them in the key business decision; take their feedback and comprehensively discuss your project with them to ensure that they are as important for the company as your in-house team is.
Related Post: Offshore Software Development Guide for Startups
Benefits of an Offshore Dedicated Software Development Team:
Hiring an offshore development team to perform your business’s IT-related tasks offers plenty of benefits. See the list below:
Reduced Cost
Whatever the size of the business is, reducing operational costs never hurts. Hiring an offshore development team is an efficient way of cutting down on the finances. With an IT team residing somewhere else on the map, the client won’t have to set up an in-house IT office to fulfill the IT-related technical requirements of the business. And with no office, the client won’t have to worry about all the facilities, types of equipment, utilities, IT infrastructure, and communications, as the offshore service provider has them all sorted for the client. Hire dedicated developers will not only increase your development capacity but will also save recruiting and operational expenses.
Autoscaling the IT department
Autoscaling is a complicated task; it involves the dynamic allocation of the resources among the team in proportion to the performance requirements. This allocation is quite intricate as the resources’ requirements fluctuate with the project; for one your company may require extensive resources while for another project few would be enough. In such scenarios, management of the in-house team and their respective resource prerequisites become extremely difficult, however, with the offshore development team, the companies need to worry less about all the hassles of autoscaling as the offshore team take-up the roles from the in-house team.
Reliability
Offshore development companies and teams that have established their name over the tome are highly efficient in their functioning. They are resourceful, reliable, and lean in their operations and ensure transparency and accountability in their operations. They let their clients overlook the pace and performance of their project development in real-time, and in case of issues or disappointment with the end product, they may offer to redo the product with no additional cost (if supported by the contract).
On-time Delivery
A reputed offshore development team always takes pride in the timely delivery of their projects. They function under the optimized environments and rigorously adheres to the project’s timeline devised initially; from planning to design and development and later testing and launch, they methodically work with their in-house team and keep on collaborating with their clients to ensure the completion of the product in the shortest possible time.
Technical Support
The responsibility of the offshore development team does not end with the delivery of the product. Most of the time they offer lifetime technical support for the product and ensures customer satisfaction. Moreover, the knowledge that’s been gained and preserved by the offshore development team during product development can be utilized in the future for other similar products for the company.
Qualified Professionals
Offshore development teams comprise the best of the best IT professionals and specialists in their field; they utilize their expertise and high-tech technology in crafting tailored IT solutions for their clients. Not only this, but they also keep on updating their technical knowledge to ensure innovative solutions to their clients. When you hire dedicated developers, they take care of all the stages of development of your project. With years of experience and multi-discipline skills, offshore companies are the best bet in the fields of IT development. They will let you leverage novelty and creativity while offering new insights to give a boom to your business.
Reduced Time-to-Market
An external team working 24/7 on your project will help in increasing the pace of the product development. This will also let you put forth your desired product in the competitive market earlier than expected.
Time to Focus on Other Activities
Hire dedicated developers and create your own dedicated offshore software development team that works specifically on your project. With an external team taking all your IT-related pains and working round-the-clock for your business, you will have plenty of time to invest in other crucial business activities like its strategy and future goals.
We provide various software services that suit businesses of all sizes and types. Know more about our expertise.
Drawbacks of Working with an Offshore Software Team:
Despite having plenty of benefits of hiring an offshore team for all your IT-development related tasks, still, there are some limitations that you may face while working with a remote team:
Language and Cultural barriers
Companies need to understand that the offshore team members are not from their native country and there are chances that they won’t be that fluent in their native language. Therefore the companies need to focus on simple words, communication styles, and use language that is comprehensible. Companies must not use jargon or metaphors common in their origin to avoid confusion and also steer clear of cultural references as this may make remote members feel distant and alienated.
Anticipated Quality
With remote work, there are always risks of not getting what you anticipated. The final product may not come up to your expectations and you may have to bear extra costs for the modification. Companies need to be mentally prepared about any such misfortune to avoid shock and if possible, spare some finances for such unprecedented occurrences while budgeting for the project.
Read our related post on Software Development Trends.
Delivery Delays
That’s the issue which companies often face and the situation is not much different from offshore teams. Though offshore teams are known for their swift delivery, exceptions are always there and due to any misfortune, your project can be delayed. Companies, however, can set a margin for these delays while scheduling the project.
Security Concerns
Though most of the companies and offshore teams sign a non-disclosure agreement before commencement of the development work, however, accidental security leaks or chances of malicious elements can’t be outrightly ruled out and though there are not many companies can do regarding this, they can demand from the offshore teams to beef up their security system as much as they can.
Development Methodology
Another issue that the companies often face is the difference in the preferred development methodology. Apart from cultural and language differences, people across the world also differ in the way they conduct their work. For instance, in some regions, people prefer pre-defined instructions and a proper schedule to maintain the workflow whereas in some regions people prefer dynamic methodology. In Asian countries like India, China, Indonesia, or Malaysia, people follow Waterfall Methodology. Whereas in Europe and America the workers use the Agile Methodology to carry out the development tasks. The companies must also focus on the preferred development methodology while hiring the offshore team to avoid conflicts.
Planning to Outsource? Here are the Top 14 Software Development Outsourcing Tips To Consider.
Management of the Offshore Dedicated Software Development Team:
The offshore dedicated software development team is a group of software development experts who work particularly on your project. Hiring a ready-made team is a practical option for several companies, but managing the remote team is a bit delicate and companies can’t just sign away a deal with them and leave them. Companies can follow the following tips for the productive management of an offshore team.
You’re all together
Don’t think of the offshore team as someone separate from your company. They are part of your company and treat them just like you treat your in-house team.
Lengthy emails
Lengthy emails won’t do any good to your project but in fact, end up in confusion and miscommunication. Maintain a weekly schedule of brief emails regarding project updates. Apart from that, discuss all the details of the project through video conference. Also, make use of the latest software for ongoing communication and management of the project.
Select The Best Offshore Company As Your Outsourcing Partner.
Stay One Step Ahead
With huge time differences, there are chances that your development process will become a victim of this time gap. Resolve this by staying one step ahead and plan the next day’s task. This way your remote team will be able to access the next day’s schedule during its working hours.
Clear Goals
To avoid miscommunication, set clear goals from the beginning, and communicate them effectively to your faraway team. Never assume that they will understand everything on their own. Focus on every detail, and make sure they get the point in the discussion to avoid confrontation.
Synchronize Schedules
Time and cultural difference not only is visible in the working hours of the company and offshore team but also on the weekends and national holidays. Keep all these into consideration while scheduling the development process to give due recreational space and time to your remote team.
Geographical locations can no longer restrict you from banking upon the talent and expertise lying somewhere else in the world. With competent offshore development teams, now you don’t have to search for local talent to fulfill your business’s requirements.
Make Your Dream Project a Reality by Hiring Dedicated Developers Today.
+ There are no comments
Add yours